Year 10 work experience

[KitBag2024]

My son, along with many other schools I suspect, has to find his own work experience for a week next April. He'll be 14 and he needs to try and find something by December.

He's interested in engineering so we've spoke to every contact we can think of that might be engineering or engineering adjacent. He's also emailed out to various companies directly.

No joy so far. What other areas could he consider? He's emailed the big city library and I was thinking maybe charity shops might be a good bet? At least he'll be hands on unlike engineering which might have H&S issues.

He's not interested in law where I have contacts or a healthcare arena where his dad does. The school have discouraged them from asking their primary schools.

Bit stumped - any ideas? We're in an area with decent transport links.

Went through this with my eldest, to be honest it was a very hard lesson for those without family contacts - alot of kids went to work in their parents jobs or family businesses.

DD went the hard way round and we made it clear to her it was a numbers game, so she did individual emails to all companies with a finance or legal team to secure some admin experience, as she was clear she wanted to work in an office.

On the plus side, she did learn a really valuable lesson in perseverance with the volume of no replies/knock backs. But the amount of coaxing and tears we went through made me curse the whole system.

DD did get work experience that she sourced and organised all herself, but it took over a hundred emails to get that one offer.

In response for your son, I'd encourage researching any top tier engineering companies, but have a back up list of working in any health and safety team - get him to put together a CV of his interests as well as a list of contacts, it's all good experience but it's alot for them to do all at once, so focus on supporting one step at a time.

Our local council were really good, and there are a number of departments they can work in. DD worked in the library which she enjoyed but there were others there the same week in the IT department and other departments. They were really organised, much better than where I work where people struggle to find work for you to do. You had to apply early though as it was very popular.

I imagine this is getting harder tbh.

But one thing I would say - don't email, call. I know it's scary but if necessary draft a short script - introduce himself and say do you do work exp for 14yo at all (as many only take 16+) - if not then at least he knows.

I drafted similar scripts for lots of my tutor group when I was a teacher as an email can just get ignored.

The best thing is to have a direct contact - friend, family. DD did a week in the city library and then a week at my school (!) in the drama dept and also making displays. DS1 did two weeks at different catering outlets and DS2 did two weeks at an outdoor activity place.

I used to manage a team of 6, in an Education Business Partnership, until the government scrapped the funding, so 25 years of work / engagement disappeared overnight! We placed 3,500 - 4,000 KS4, 5, FE, HE into work experience placements, so I hope some of the below helps:

• If you don't have a contact name, then an email generally fails to hit the target. Your son needs to ring up, explain his request, and ask for a name or contact and often that gets a far better response than a parent contacting.
• Use your network, who does what for a job role and often a personal contact will get a placement (companies like a degree of personal responsibility and recommendation for wex), that a random request will not.
• What kind of engineering? Helps when focusing the requests.
• A key part of work experience is for the student to find the placement, so ringing a company and even popping into a premises to ask if they take students on work experience makes a difference.
• Garages - electric vehicles / conventional / farm vehicles and equipment for hire, Parts Departments, Electrical / Electronic Component Wholesalers, Colleges / Universities that run engineering courses (sometimes offer roles where the students act as workshop helpers, so approach them too), Heating Engineers, Component Manufacturers, Food Production Companies, Local Authorities, Police, Fire sometimes have their own workshops / technical departments.
• https://www.theiet.org/.
• Quote that he changes legal status - employers need EL insurance etc.,https://www.hse.gov.uk/young-workers/employer/work-experience.htm

I hope this helps.

If the student is in Key Stage 4, they flip legal status, to become regarded as an adult, in the workplace. The placement needs to be part of a statutory school programme, so the excuse about under 16s does not apply to work experience, which is not paid - https://www.hse.gov.uk/young-workers/employer/work-experience.htm

This worked for us:

Lots of research on LinkedIn and websites to find the name and ideally the email address of the CEO.

Really clear email header, and very tailored email specifically to each company claiming an interest in their area of expertise, the departments etc.

out of 10 emails DS got 2 offers!

Thanks all. Some good tips! He had a response from one company asking him to submit a short video which seems positive and if nothing comes of it, at least he has to article why!

We are doing this at the moment too. DS emailed a contact from a database provided by his school of suggested companies/roles. He emailed himself and cced me in, no response after four days so I rang up to ask for a contact name for him to email. He has now emailed them direct.
I wonder if it's going to be an uphill struggle since the school suggests 'family and friend contacts' and perhaps this is the route most people go.

Agree on local authorities ie councils. We have someone who coordinates all work experience under early careers. All departments are encouraged to take them.

We're just embarking on the challenge of Year 10 work experience. Our DS wants (ideally) something in science, but would be happy to take anything tbh.

I've been looking on various company websites and those that do take students all have stated they don't take them under 16.

My husband & I are both self employed so virtually no 'industry' contacts, which doesn't help...

The school hasn't provided any list of companies to approach and having asked other parents, those who've managed to secure placements have done so with family/friends...

Any points much appreciated.

DD is doing hers at a nuclear power station. She sent an email to their outreach team asking if they might take people on in the visitors centre but they've put her in the main building with the engineers. She is beyond excited. But we had no contacts and she just used the information available online.

Her friends are doing theirs at local museums and a theatre.

We have some great structured year 10 work experience available in our county but the application day was way after her school wanted it set up and confirmed. Look at the council, research centres, Aviva do a good one, Wildlife Trusts.

Most factories will have some sort of engineering function, not just those that are obviously Engineering.

At that age, most placements come through family and friends. But if you're struggling (and lots of families do with this) ask the school if they have an Enterprise Adviser, or if you can be put in touch with careers support at County level. FWIW I'm a volunteer Enterprise Adviser and feel very under-used, which is a common theme with other EAs I've spoken to.

Could you try other volunteering opportunities? Charities often need admin support which is good experience even if it's not a sector he's interested in.

Thanks DogInATent,

I've never heard of a Volunteer Enterprise Adviser, I'll contact the council in our area now to see if they employ any...

Most of my husband's x-work colleagues work in one area of business, which simply isn't suitable for youngsters and I don't have contacts as I've been self employed for decades. Its hard when school don't seem to want to help... I'm quite surprised, but they I guess I shouldn't be, as I've sorted out all the volunteering for DS's DofE too...

Hi @DogInATent

Am I right in thinking that the Enterprise Advisors mentioned on this page are doing a similar role to yourself?

https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/what-we-deliver/skills/careers-education/

Have tried phoning but the # isn't working and have tried submitting the form to contact them, but that's doesn't appear to be working either. Just want to know if I've got the right people before trying other methods of contact.

Thanks

Its hard when school don't seem to want to help... I'm quite surprised, but they I guess I shouldn't be, as I've sorted out all the volunteering for DS's DofE too...

To be fair to schools, they're pulled all over the place chasing different objectives, targets, and initiatives. Despite the introduction of the Gatsby framework, careers guidance and work experience is woefully under resourced and underfunded.

One of my reasons for getting involved and volunteering as a EA was as a result of being on the other end. Working for an employer that was taken for granted by the local schools when it came to WE. To the point that I started saying No. I don't think schools (or parents) realise that there's 2 weeks of work by the employer preparing for 2 weeks of work experience. So when year after year you get disinterested timewasters (or worse) dumped on you at the last minute you can quickly lose the will to engage. I'm hoping I can do something towards changing this.

What extra curriculars does he do? Can you put a message out asking the swim / rugby / scout parents whether they take work experience students on in their day role.

It's hard to find that first work experience thing because so many companies at wary of the implications for having an under 16 on the premises and lots of smaller companies do not fulfil the criteria that schools require (particular policies and insurance)
I'm a small practice and often get asked if I will do work experience for kids and I can't take them (I do take uni students) due to this.
My eldest went to a local mid sized computer support company - he likes computer science but wasn't his kind of thing but gave him a taste of a job and narrowed down that he didn't want to do that.
I wrote to loads of companies I work with to try a bit of nepotism and DS wrote to loads of companies he found online - we got about 3 replies total from a very wide net cast, very low hit rate. Which I think was eye opening to DS that getting a job isn't easy especially in what you want to do.

It's only work experience.

It doesn't have to be related to their career. Plenty of time for that in college.

Luckily DD's is but most of her friends are working in cafes.

Everyone who I asked said they had to be 16 apart from this one.

We were told not to ask family contacts as it isn't real experience if they know someone there.

@Seainasive

Lots of research on LinkedIn and websites to find the name and ideally the email address of the CEO.

Really? The CEO? It's Y10 work experience!!

The school said that? figures. It's a lot easier for the employer to provide a placement for a child if there's a relative or family friend they can shadow or work alongside. The Buddy System is by far the easiest way to meet the H&S requirements, and that's made easier when it's someone that they already know and knows them.

It's only work experience.
It doesn't have to be related to their career. Plenty of time for that in college.

I wouldn't have framed it as dismissively as "It's only work experience". But the purpose is to provide meaningful experience or contact with a workplace and the world of work in general. It doesn't have to specific to the career path their interested in, and WE placements are a great way of exploring things you might not have considered.

Literally loads of desk research and sending emails/calling. He'll need to see it a bit like job in itself. Engineering could be anything from National Grid to a local air-conditioning company.

It's a massive ballache for businesses.

We used to offer 4 or 5 placements a year but then we got inundated with literally hundreds of phonecalls per year when word got round that we offered it.

Now we offer none - it takes up too much time.

We've still had over 50 requests voicemails in the last month despite telling schools and careers we can no longer offer. I don't even a time to call all these kids so they are being left with no response.

Schools need to change their model.

There are 2800 year 11's in our small town.